Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 10 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 10, 2018 (Friday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

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** Jamie and Karen Burris report their orphan CEDAR WAXWINGS [Jaseur d'Amérique] are growing fast and now able to fly. They can pick and feed on berries with no problem. They will not attempt to tackle live prey at this time, but enjoy it if it is fed to them with tweezers. They have set them up a room of their own by a screened window, so they can see and interact with other birds and not see humans all the time. They and the RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS [Colibri à gorge rubis] seem very curious of each other. They (the waxwings) weigh 30 and 32 grams now. At the time of rescue, they weighed 23 and 24 grams. Jamie understands they stay with their parents for 2 weeks or so after they fledge. When they see them begin to grab live prey on their own, they will know it won’t be long before they release them back into the wild.

They are continuing to see MONARCH BUTTERFLYS [Monarque] coming to their Swamp Milkweed, but they have not seen any sign of larvae as yet. They came across a couple of large STRIPED FISHING (DOLOMEDES SCRIPTUS) spiders while walking the east branch of Turtle Creek. Both had egg sacs under them. This spider also gets the common name of Raft, Dock, and Wharf Spiders. The females can grow up 6 cm in leg span. They are essentially semiaquatic.

Also a couple of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD [Colibri à gorge rubis] photos are included, one showing that long tongue and another around the Hollyhocks. An awesome photo of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird with extended tongue to make us realize how easy it is for them to get deep into their chosen flower and our Hummingbird feeders.

** Things continue to be very lively in Marguerite Winsor’s veranda of her home in Salisbury on the MONARCH [Monarque] trade. On August 9^th, she was there at the right moment to get to witness 3 butterflies emerging from their chrysalides in the space of 10 minutes. She was able to get a video of some of the action. Take a look at this great video at the attached link. As Marguerite comments, “pretty amazing to actually witness.”

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rklnajjshpg0hjt/MVI_7431.MP4?dl=0

** Bill Winsor got another few photos of the CLIFF SWALLOW [Hirondelle à front blanc] nest at Paul Langelaan’s home in Second North River, showing some impatient-appearing nestlings waiting for parents to arrive with sustenance. This species must be soon to fledge.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this edition, courtesy of sky-guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 11 – August 18

The main event in the sky this week is the Perseid meteor shower. On any clear night this weekend you will have a better chance of seeing meteors, especially in the wee hours before morning twilight. The peak time is predicted to occur around 10 pm on Sunday when, unfortunately, the constellation Perseus is still low on the northeast. You can see a few meteors per hour any night in a clear, dark sky, but the number increases greatly when Earth passes through a trail of pebbles and dust left by a comet that makes frequent orbits around the Sun. The pebbles left by comet Temple-Tuttle in its 133 year orbit are quite large at a few centimetres, and they enter our atmosphere at a high relative velocity of 60 km/s (Earth travels at 30 km/s). Therefore, they can be very bright.

Meteors, also called shooting stars or falling stars, are the streaks of light created when particles enter the atmosphere at an altitude of about 100 kilometres, and those particles from comets disintegrate before they reach an altitude of 50 kilometres. Many meteors are faint and easily made invisible by moonlight and light pollution. This year the Perseid shower occurs near the new Moon phase so we can expect to see more than usual. They will seem to be coming from a point within the constellation Perseus, which is at its highest in the sky in early morning. You will see fewer in the evening but they tend to be long and bright.

Although a dark sky is preferred for watching meteors, many can still be enjoyed from an urban or suburban area. Get comfortable in a chair, have extra clothes or blankets if you plan to stay long as it can get very chilly, and select a patch of sky that is free of clouds and light. It is better to keep Perseus to your side rather than look in that direction because the meteors will look more spectacular, covering a longer distance. Be very happy if you see about 20-30 per hour on the peak night, or fewer a day before or after. Anything more is a bonus, and this could be a bonus year.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:13 am and sunset will occur at 8:34 pm, giving 14 hours, 21 minutes of daylight (6:20 am and 8:37 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:22 am and set at 8:22 pm, giving 14 hours of daylight (6:28 am and 8:26 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is new on Saturday, August 11 and it is at first quarter the following Saturday. Venus has a twilight photo opportunity with a slim Moon on Tuesday, and it is at its greatest elongation from the Sun on Friday. Saturn is at its best in the early evening. On Thursday, telescope users might see the shadows of Jovian moons Io and Europa moving across the atmosphere of Jupiter, starting around 9:08 pm and lasting for more than two hours. Mars is in good position for observing by late evening and its global dust storm is weakening. The Perseid meteor shower peaks in a moonless sky Sunday evening and should be active enough to keep most stargazers happy over the weekend and Monday.

The RASC NB star party at Mactaquac Provincial Park takes place this weekend, August 10-11.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton